Queen of Confidence
by Sugar Spice Rush
Summary: Thief, inventor, hacker, grifter, and counterfeiter. Every word described perfectly how much of a clever mastermind this girl was. So how did she end up being a valuable asset to Bayview's top anti-crime agency in taking down the worst criminals who ever existed?


**Queen of Confidence**

* * *

_"Don't trust a person who lies for a living."_

* * *

**Everyone: Happy birthday!**

**SSR: Thanks everyone! ****This story is a combination of things. I stayed up late one Sunday and watched an episode of a Canadian drama called The Listener. Then I looked it up and watched the episode again online. It's so much like Leverage!**

**Dan: How can you even compare one mere episode to an entire TV series?**

**Shun: It's her birthday, let her be.**

**SSR: Doesn't change the fact that I came up with a weird title and summary. First chapter's just an intro situation, but read and see.**

**Ace: SSR doesn't own Bakugan, Leverage, or The Listener.**

**SSR: By "confidence," I mean a confidence game (aka "con"). You'll see.**

* * *

**Chapter One**

**Right on Track**

...

..."I don't know how to thank your for spending your time helping me the house."

"Oh no, I should thank **you** for giving me an assignment to work on. I hope you enjoy the look of your house. Tell him I said hi."

"I will. Have a great day!"

After all the goodbyes were said, the house designer, a young woman in her early twenties with long orange hair and now wearing a pair of sunglasses, walked back to her car and opened the back trunk. Two men walked over carrying a chest in their hands. "Thanks guys, I'll take it from here."

"Will do, Miss."

After they left, she opened the chest and ran her fingers over the thick metal safe. _He won't to notice a thing, but I'd better leave before he starts thinking of anything. There's always time to crack open a safe. _With that said, the designer closed the trunk got into the driver's seat, driving off before the owner of the house could find anything.

"Oh no, we've been robbed!"

Everyone working followed the homeowner's voice to the basement, where he stood in front of a metal gate of a side room with a broken keypad dangling. "Not the hi-tech computer chip! That is intellectual company property! The entire safe is **gone**!"

A stolen computer chip, precious or not, was the least of anyone's problems right now.

...

...

"Jack, Ten, Nine, Eight."

"Seven, Eight, Nine."

"Ten, Nine, Ten."

"Jack, Queen, King, Ace, and...Speed!"

A long, nerve-wrecking game of Speed that used **three** full decks of cards finally ended in the general briefing room of the Strategic Integrated Intelligence Investigation Bureau, Bayview's top anti-crime and anti-terrorism agency. Shun threw his last card down on the glass table and declared victory. Dan tossed all his remaining cards into the air like snowflakes and whined. "You **always **win! When was the last time that I ever won?"

"When you said that we should allow stacking and double placements in the game. Admit it, Dan. Your hands aren't as fast as mine. Also, a bet's a bet."

"Thanks for reminding me, Shun. Now I have to take the next case that what's-her-name gives us."

"I have a **name**, you know." Dan jerked up upon hearing the voice and straightened his shirt. A young woman walked inside the glass-wall room, tying her blue hair and then adjusting her ID badge. "Feels good to be called **Sergeant **Misaki now. And just for **you**, Dan, I'll have Marucho start the day with a tech lesson."

"Our tech analyst giving a tech lesson? Good luck torturing Dan by using Marucho, Runo. I'm sure that will go well for both of them." Shun commented. "Anyone want me to get a coffee on my way out and back?"

"For me, please." Marucho answered, turning on the touchscreen TV. "While Shun's out on an errand, there's something important that I need to show you." After a few taps to the screen, an old picture of a metallic square-looking thing. "What is this?"

"Duh, it's a computer chip." Dan answered sarcastically.

"That's not what he meant," Runo growled, smacking Dan in the back of his head.

"You're both right. This is no ordinary computer chip. The owner of this super high-speed computer chip is Mr. Shadow Prove, who recently moved into a new house. His friend Lync Volan fell victim of a con artist posing as a house renovator."

"Why would Shadow Prove hire his friend to hire a contractor in the first place?" Shun asked, returning with a cup of coffee in each hand. "Marucho, this is yours."

"Thanks, Shun." The blond tapped the screen, and images of a girl with long orange hair staring away from the camera.

Dan looked at the sliding pictures on screen and gasped. "**She's** a con artist? Dang, she's pretty-"

Runo smacked the back of Dan's head again and spoke. "Don't even try. That's not just any con artist. That's Alice Gehabich. She's been on my radar since I started working here."

"What did she do now?" called a voice from outside.

"Ace!" Runo stood up and pulled a chair for the mint-haired visitor. "So nice of you to stop by. We were just talking about-"

"Alice Gehabich? I know her. She's been on my radar as well, ever since Mira told me that the boss of her company got conned by this woman into purchasing a nonexistent ski resort." He finished his coffee and tossed the cup. "Sorry people, but I can't stay. Mira's entering surgery in an hour, and I have to stay and wait at the hospital."

"Aw..." the others whined.

"I know, I should be present at all times because I'm chief of SIIIB, but Mira's not in a stable state, and family is important. Mira's vitals only just stabilized recently, which is why the doctors can proceed with surgery now. I leave this con artist case to you all. See you later!"

After the group waved Ace goodbye, Runo went up to the screen pulled down a list. "Alice's smart, that's for sure. The list of everything she did is endless. I won't even try scrolling through this. See what we have here, Dan? Just because she's pretty doesn't mean she's a good person."

"I was just joking, Runo. Besides, you're prettier than her and way more outstanding. The good people get all the good things."

"I wish that were completely true..."

Shun stared at the images of the said con artist and sipped his coffee. "Weird. I'm just hearing about her name right now."

"You don't know much about her because no one at SIIIB really talks about it." Runo explained. "The last time she carried out a con was about a few months ago, and that case didn't last long. Besides, you hadn't transferred here yet during the last time we brought her up."

"How many cons did she play on people exactly?"

"Like I said, the list is endless, and most of the victims give up. It's just that she stole an extremely valuable computer chip this time."

"So SIIIB only gets involved if something extremely serious happens? Like with this stolen computer chip?"

"Not always. SIIIB does excel at getting rid of crime, but victims need to cooperate with us too. If one side gives up, the other can't move on. We're lucky that the marks she chose this time are very relentless people." She tapped Dan's chair and ordered him to get up. "Come on, Dan. We have victims to interview."

"Usually, I end up being the only person doing the interviewing." Dan corrected.

"You interview Shadow and Lync while I examine the crime scene! At least, I think Shadow Prove arrived there by now. Shun, you can stay with Marucho. Dan and I will be back."

Shun sighed and watched Runo and Dan leave the building. "Marucho, how long have you been working here?"

"Ever since I was sixteen."

"That young?"

"Well...I didn't really have a choice back then. I know you just transferred here as a regular agent, by all means, but don't feel too out of place. Runo's been here for a long time, and now she finally got promoted. Everyone knows how hardworking she is, especially Dan."

Shun one last look at the photos on the TV screen before Marucho turned the TV off. "I suppose. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here in the first place, either"

...

...

Alice's phone rang just after she stopped at a red light. "Hello?"

"Hello, am I speaking to Miss Cohan?"

The redhead twitched as she adjusted to the alias she used today. "Yes, this is Celia Cohan. Who is this?"

"This is SSR Luxury Car Rentals calling. We're here to notify you that the black Cadillac Escalade you requested earlier is ready for pickup in exchange for your current Mercedes 350 anytime within thirty minutes of now."

"Oh, that. Thanks for calling. I'm heading there now."

"That's great! Have a nice day!"

Alice closed her phone and put it in her purse. She pressed the buttons on her GPS and ordered, "Give me the fastest route from here to SSR Luxury Car Rentals.

"Map...is...generating..." said the GPS.

After getting to her destination, Alice took all her personal stuff out of the Mercedes and put them inside the Escalade. With some seat adjusting, she drove out of the parking lot and ordered the GPS again, "Now give me the fastest route from here to the Ventura Hotel but through the 1016 Highway."

"Understood. New...map...is...loading..."

The redhead sighed and followed the line as shown on her GPS. _I can't make this too obvious or else it'll backfire._

...

...

Shun shook his head after listening to Marucho's explanation. "I don't get it. She sounds too smart for that."

"Same here." Runo added.

"But it's true!" After Runo and Dan came back from getting witness statements and investigating the scene, Marucho showed everyone what he found. "First, Alice Gehabich used the phony credentials of 'Celia Cohan' to rent a Mercedes, and later an Escalade. We know this based on the witness statements and the fact that she did this in the past."

"She sounds pretty old school to me." Dan commented.

"If you think that's old school, then you should see how I just found where she is now." Marucho typed some commands into the computer, which then projected a live feed of highway sections. "This is the 1016 Highway, which has the most live cameras out of any other highway in Bayview. I believe this car is the black Escalade that we're looking for. Give me a moment to capture the plates."

Shun asked, "How do we even know if the computer chip is with her at this very moment?"

"Well, Shun. Sometimes it's not always about getting back what's stolen." Runo replied. "Arresting and interrogating her is the most suitable-"

"Found her!" Marucho exclaimed. "One of the cameras at the exits spotted her, and she just drove into the parking lot of the Ventura Hotel. Who wants to go this time?"

"I believe Shun should go with Runo," Dan nominated, "because I should stay and work on some older cases."

"What's gotten into you?" Shun mumbled.

Runo shrugged her shoulders. "He had a nervous breakdown after interviewing Shadow and Lync because both of them were literally hyper and nuts. Come on, Shun. We can take my car."

After quarter-hour drive to the Ventura Hotel, Runo parked her SUV quite a few spaces behind the Escalade. Shun stepped off the sidewalk and looked inside the driver seat window of the said car. "Nothing much out of the ordinary except for a steering wheel lock."

"Take this." Runo walked around the front of the black Cadillac Escalade and handed him a set of keys. "Don't worry. I already told valet service about the situation."

"That was fast, but thanks." Before he inserted the keys into the handle lock, Shun looked up and called Runo. "How did you enter SIIIB, Runo?"

"It wasn't easy. Both of my parents had no experience in law enforcement, but at least they supported me all the way. Why do you ask?"

"Marucho was telling me about how he didn't have a choice, whereas as this was **your one **choice. I wonder what he meant."

"He'll tell you in due time..."

"Say what?"

"Ssh, she's coming. Search the car while I pose as the valet. The manager already called Alice Gehabich outside."

"Sure."

Meanwhile, Alice exited the hotel doors in a fit. She walked up to Runo and demanded, "The manager told me that another valet hit my car. What's going on?"

"Just as the manager said. Not a pretty sight, though." Runo answered, leading Alice to the Escalade. "This way."

After searching the entire car, Shun opened the door just when Alice arrived on the driver's side and pulled out his badge. "Where are you headed, Alice?"

"Excuse me?" Alice clicked her tongue and glared at him. "My name's not Alice, and this isn't my car."

"So why does my partner just happen to stumble upon these dollar bills and fake IDs?" Runo asked, pointing to the open envelope in Shun's hands.

"Look, I can explain-"

"I'm sure you can," Shun answered sarcastically, watching Alice's face respond to his voice. Even when approached by police, her expression remained the same. "but none of it will be true."

"Whether you choose to believe it or not," she whispered, oddly silent enough for only Shun to hear.

* * *

**Alice: When was the last time I stole something from someone?**

**Shun: Is the computer chip in the car at all?**

**SSR: In case people have forgotten already, SIIIB stands for "Strategic Integrated Intelligence Investigation Bureau." Three consecutive capital I's look really weird. I had a terrible time giving names to everything that I just threw my initials in as the car rental company.**

**Dan: I was laughing so hard at it!**

**SSR: (popped veins)**

**Dan: Okay, chill. Happy birthday, okay?**

**Shun: I have a feeling this will be a running gag.**

**SSR: Running gag or not, it's still my birthday. Leave a review of what you think of this story so far, okay?**


End file.
